to think that boarding houses could come back into fashion (not boarding schools)

[NeedToChangeName]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-66591376

This news report got me thinking. When my Dad was a student, he rented a bedroom in someone's house, alongside other students. Quite simple accommodation without facilities that people might expect nowadays, but it was affordable and convenient. And extra income for the landlady

I wonder if this arrangement might become popular again, with (1) students / young professionals struggling to find suitable accommodation and (2) home owners struggling to pay mortgages

isn't that being a lodger? which is quite a common thing still

This is already a thing, in Ireland anyway. It's called Digs.

@Handsnotwands When I think of a lodger, I imagine a young person buying a flat and having a flatmate or two of around their own age and hopefully enjoying each other's company. I agree that's common

When I think of a traditional boarding house, I tend to think of an older person with several rooms that are rented out to individuals ie purely a financial arrangement with no expectation of socialising together

Being a lodger is already a thing, as is renting a room in a shared house.

When I think of a lodger, I imagine a young person buying a flat and having a flatmate or two of around their own age and hopefully enjoying each other's company. I agree that's common
When I think of a traditional boarding house, I tend to think of an older person with several rooms that are rented out to individuals ie purely a financial arrangement with no expectation of socialising together

Well your ideas are incorrect. Lodgers take all forms. Plenty of lodgers rent purely for the practical reasons and aren't of the same age as the owner.

I know what you mean OP. When I was at uni quite a lot of my fellow students were lodgers. But the norm now is halls of residence/private halls/shared houses.

Looking at what my niece (or rather, her parents) is going to be paying for an en-suite room in a shared flat when she starts university next term, I can't believe more students aren't simply being lodgers.

University accommodation is a massive scam. I've only recently discovered that they make them pay for far more weeks than their university terms last, too - we paid for 30 weeks when I was an undergraduate/postgraduate, the same as the length of 3 x 10 week terms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boarding_house
This is the set up I'm thinking of, not lodgers or shared houses

Your link is all places in the US. I don't think that type of place has ever really existed in the UK. A boarding house here would be much, much smaller, like the type you still get in some seaside towns.

What you show above is more akin to a catered halls of residence.

Just because that’s what you think of when you think of boarding houses or lodgers, it doesn’t mean you’re right!

Your example of a lodger would be best described as having a friend rent a room!

I would say that sort of thing exists now-it’s called having a lodger. It can be a young person or an older person, there are no rules

A boarding house is traditionally rented out as a bedroom with shared bathroom facilities, meals are usually provided and the tenants may have a communal room in which to take tea and sit by the window and read.

My parents have talked about boarding houses.

My mum has said when they used to go to seaside as a family they'd stay in a boarding house.

My dad stayed in one for a while when he just started work.

It sounds like there was a matronly woman who had strict rules about time you got back. But who also made you breakfast. I might be imagining it but I think there were rules about having a lady friend over too.

The way they described it was quite different to a premier inn or lodging in the scene we've had lodgers before.

Big house with several rooms used for this.

Lodgers tended to live in a room in someone's private house or a in a 'bedsit' set up, where the landlord may or may not have also lived in the same building. Bedsits used to be quite common in the UK, but I don't think they are so prevalent now - essentially a bit like student accommodation (own bedroom come sitting room, perhaps with a small cooker/sink, and shared bathroom/larger kitchen facility) but anyone could rent one. I am not sure if some of the legislation around safety maybe put and end to some bedsit set ups, perhaps in some cases for good reason. I feel sorry for students who get accepted at University and then struggle to find somewhere to live - the thing is students/parents complain about a lack of accommodation but often locals in the city/town also complain that 'there is only/too much student accommodation' and 'nothing for non-students'. Bedsit/basic student accommodation set ups would actually work for both students and those on a limited income/starting out/starting again/actually not wanting to live in a whole house alone/other groups I cannot think of just now.

I’d say that’s more temporary guest accommodation, rather than somewhere to live longer term.

Boarding houses like this were often mentioned in the 1940s and 50s books I used to love. The landlady was usually quite a character!

I know what you mean. My dad lived in a boarding house after leaving home until he got married. He had a room in a house, but an evening meal was cooked by the landlady and eaten with the other boarders in the dining room.

I do have some experience in this area. Dd attended a specialist college from the age of 16-19 where most of the students lodged with a family. Dd lived with a couple and 2 other students. Many of her friends at similar colleges did similar. Also many in the theatre industry on tour stay in similar places. More recently when her shared house in her work city broke down she went to lodge with a couple.

Her college has now almost totally abandoned this type of accommodation in favour of private halls of residences. It is really hard to find, non student lodgers are much preferred. Touring theatre people also struggle to find places to stay.

The problem is HMO licensing in major university cites. We have looked at buying a house to turn it into a HMO in a student area, sadly we pulled out as despite 90% of the surrounding houses being HMOs the feeling was we wouldn't get permission

Shiny- they were actually called boarding houses though!

So my dad lived in one for a good while (no idea if it was 6 months or a couple of years though) and it was like pp mentioned with a lady in charge of the house and evening meal.

My mum's family would have stayed 2 weeks in the summer but it was definitely and old fashioned boarding house not. Like a modern BandB!!

I dont know what happened to them. My mum has often talked about how different times were then.

When my Dad was a student, he rented a bedroom in someone's house, alongside other students. Quite simple accommodation without facilities that people might expect nowadays, but it was affordable and convenient. And extra income for the landlady

When my FiL was at university, he lived in a couple’s house-and described it as living ‘in digs’. This was in the 50s, before large halls of residence must have been built in many universities. He paid them for the room and sat and ate with them for morning/evening meal times. The woman didn’t work and had time to cook/clean up after the meals.

Your solution for families struggling with the mortgage is an interesting one. Even if they had a spare room large enough to rent out, I wonder how many busy struggling families would want to cook/clear up after someone else’s meals or have them cooking their meals in the kitchen separately at the same time as them. Many houses today aren’t big enough for this, I don’t think.

@NeedToChangeName you have misunderstood what boarding houses and lodgers are.

A lodger rents a room in someone’s house, and generally cooks and cleans for themself.

A boarding house is where communal meals are provided, and bedrooms may be shared or singles. My dad lived in a boarding house in the 50s.
They were also popular in seaside towns as a way of making money, particularly with people widowed by the war who needed to find income streams.

A house/flat share is where a bunch of people rent a home with personal bedrooms and communal spaces. In general, the owner doesn’t usually live there but it’s possible.

It's also quite different from the more modern lodging with a family too.

Yes Golga that's like my parents describe and precisely those reasons!

I lodged with a family when I first moved to London (this is within the last 10 years.) There were 2 or 3 young professionals renting single bedrooms and sharing the family bathroom & kitchen. Is that what you’re talking about? I would call that taking lodgers not a boarding house. A boarding house implies meals provided I think which would be odd in this day & age.

We all cooked our own meals in the family kitchen separately due to work/social commitments. Occasionally we would all eat together.

I imagine it’s less common these days as not many people have 3 or 4 spare bedrooms to rent out. Particularly in large cities with big student populations.